Trump-Zelenskyy Talks Were On Track, But Sparks Flew In 10-Minute Fiery Exchange: Video Shows What Happened

Last Updated:March 01, 2025, 09:48 IST

The aftermath of the fiery spat was so intense that no deal was signed, no joint statement was released, and Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House in a clear dismissal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump | Reuters Image

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived at the White House on Friday with prospects to meet and sign a minerals deal with his US counterpart, faced an unprecedented reprimand in front of the global media.

The aftermath of the fiery spat was so intense that no deal was signed, no joint statement was released, and Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House in a clear dismissal.

President Donald Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart that he was “gambling with World War Three", while Vice-President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of being disrespectful.

While there were nearly 40 minutes of cordial talks and formalities at the beginning, the fiery argument began to take shape when Zelenskyy countered Vance on the latter’s “path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy" remark.

While Vance claimed that Ukraine could achieve peace with Russia through diplomacy. Zelenskyy pointed out that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had consistently violated previous agreements.

Tensions Rise Between Zelenskyy And Vance

Replying to Vance’s “diplomacy for peace" remark, Zelenskyy pointed to Russia’s aggression in the years leading up to its full-scale invasion three years ago, including a failed ceasefire in 2019. “Nobody stopped him," he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“He (Putin) killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners," Zelenskyy said. “What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?"

The exchange quickly became visibly tense, with Vance responding, “The kind that will end the destruction of your country." He then accused Zelenskyy of being disrespectful and “litigating" the situation in front of the American media.

It became clear at a point that Zelenskyy stepped into the White House in no mood to reach a peace deal with diplomacy, demanding that Russia pay for the entire war.

Trump Intervenes: The Fallout

Vance continued to push back Zelenskyy, claiming that Ukraine is forcing conscripts to the frontlines because it has “manpower problems".

Reacting to it, Zelensky replied: “During the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have a nice ocean and don’t feel it now, but you will feel it in the future."

That comment irked Trump and drew him into the clash, which had until then been confined to Zelenskyy and the vice president.

“You don’t know that, don’t tell us what we are going to feel. We are trying to solve a problem. You are in no position to dictate that… You have allowed yourself to be in a very bad position. You don’t have the cards right now, with us you start having cards. You are gambling with the lives of millions of people. You are gambling with world war three. And what you are doing is very disrespectful to this country," Trump said.

Referring to his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump then said that the US had given Ukraine $350 billion and military equipment through a “stupid president", adding that without the US military support, the war would have ended in two weeks and that Ukraine was in big trouble.

Trump then said, “It’s going to be very hard to do business like this. It’s going to be a tough deal to make because the attitudes have to change." Both the president and vice president reprimanded Zelensky, seeming most upset by what they saw as his “attitude."

The Trump administration was to negotiate an agreement with Ukraine that would grant the US access to Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for the support it has provided since the war began in 2022, as part of the peace deal.

After the meeting, Trump told reporters, “That was not a man (Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky) that wanted to make peace, and I am only interested if he (Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky) wants to end the bloodshed."

Zelenskyy In No Mood To Apologise

Zelenskyy on Friday repeatedly refused to apologise for his heated Oval Office clash with US President Donald Trump, but expressed confidence that their relationship could be “salvaged."

While Zelenskyy maintained that he “did not do anything wrong" when questioned about the heated exchange with Trump, he noted that the confrontation was “bad for both sides."

“This kind of spat is not good for both sides. It will be difficult for us to defend the country from invading Russian military forces if Trump discontinues aid to Ukraine," Zelenskyy told Fox News in an exclusive interview.

“No," Zelensky said when Fox News’ Bret Baier asked if he owed Trump an apology after Trump had accused him of “disrespect."

When asked whether his relationship with Trump after Friday’s heated exchange can be salvaged, the Ukrainian President said: “Yes, of course, because it’s relations more than two presidents. It’s the historical relations, strong relations between our people. And that’s why I always began…to thank your people from our people."

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